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>> and now bbc world news. >> seeing the floods at last, the president of pakistan visits the devastation two weeks late. the $600 million on the border with mexico. -- and wild -- and hot weather brings well fires to brazil. >> welcome to bbc world news, broadcasting to our viewers in the u.k. and around the world.

reports from pakistan say that president zardari is reviewing his country's disaster. the prime minister has been going to the stricken parts of the country. >> this is a fight for survival. the delivery of aid is a snatch and grab. in spite of the help that was promised, this is the reality for now. this is the new landscape of pakistan. we joined the prime minister on a trip to one corner of the disaster zone. >> victims of the flood clamored for his attention.

only a handful could get near him. we found anger at the response of the government. >> we haven't had any help. nobody is giving us aid. our children are dying of starvation. >> there are complaints that not enough aid has been given. people who say they haven't been given water or plastic sheeting. >> we have to give relief to everybody. it is hard to reach these areias immediately. the communications system is very bad in sections.

>> if this does not reach those in need, the united nations believes that lives will be lost. those who are trying to survive could die. president asif ali zardari saw the flooding today and only state television was able to film them. the footage was released without sound. they are looking into what the people have to say. >> day-by-day, these people are getting weaker and some of them are running out of strength. >> citizens in the united states have new legislation to toughen the security along the border with mexico. the bill for $600 million will

be for new customs agents and communication equipment and unmanned surveillance drones. there is a sense of determination among the u.s. politicians in the mid -- and immigration is the midterm campaign issue. >> politicians on both sides think that this is a vote winner. and there is a rare show of bipartisan unity. i think that the senate will approve this bill and we expect president obama would sign that into law. >> arizona has been at the center of the debates in recent weeks. is this in part some of the concerns that we have seen there? >> president obama and his lawyers were against those measures, that the state of

arizona was attempting to introduce. they want police officers to stop and search anyone they thought was an illegal immigrant. that is not up to the individual states to police and immigration. this is the sole responsibility of the federal government. what president obama will do on friday, he is going to try to show himself as being tough on immigration. he described the system has broken, and he is hoping that by putting extra people at the border, that he will be able to stem the tide. but this is a very difficult task that is ahead. >> and he has called for this national policy on immigration to tackle this serious issue. is this going to be enough?

is this the beginning? >> it is very interesting because he is on pressure from both sides. people want for him to be more lenient on immigration, with the hispanic and latino voters. this is an enormous and growing community within the overall american population. you have the republicans and the grass-roots activists who are very unhappy about this level of emigration. the president is trying to take this away. >> the oil companies -- the oil company, bp, will pay $15 million for failing to improve safety standards at a refinery where 15 people were killed in 2005. they have also said they will spend money on safety improvements. an explosion in bogota,

colombia has killed several people. the newly elected president described this as a terrorist attack and he promised to help fight terrorism. india is going to block all messages from blackberry unless they address their security concerns by the end of the month. they think this could be used to plan terrorist attacks. lobya and -- libya and uae have also shown concern. >> four men on trial for masterminding bomb attacks at the capitol, which killed nearly 70 people in uganda as they were watching the world cup. they say that they acted out of religious conviction. we have more from kenya.

>> the suspects appeared in a news conference organized by the authorities. they admitted being part of the bomb attack that attacked a restaurant and a rugby match. investigators have detained a number of people that they believe were connected but this is the first time that the ugandan military -- [unintelligible] we can share with others -- the oppression. >> the suspects said they did this out of religious conviction. >> they are out there. once they talk to you. you will never be able to think straight or make a decision. i want to extend my sincere

apologies to the families and friends of all those who perished. shababn after this, thal- said they were behind this, in revenge for uganda sending troops to somolia. >> in china, a remote region where hundreds died in a mudslide is hit by heavy rains. this is the scene of fresh landslides. in beijing, we have seen the devastation firsthand and this will deteriorate for everyone involved. >> the survivors, who are trying

to make a living -- many of those tents are flooded. for many of these people have managed to survive, this heavy rain that they see on wednesday evening is leaving them very worried that they could be subject to the same kind of disaster once again. we have seen that over the last 24 hours. and this is causing real difficulties for the relief effort. >> there is a sense that the rescue operation was beginning to wind down in some of these areas. is this going to be started with these fresh landslides? >> this is nothing like on the same scale. they have washed away homes, and they have left people dead or missing.

and there are certain operations going on for those people. the rescuers say that the landslide is more devastating than an earthquake. there was one report that 1% of people affected by these landslides actually survive if they are buried. there has not been anyone who has been found alive. they are still calling this a rescue operation, but right now they are trying to secure the area. they are trying to secure as much of this as possible because this is very unstable. >> the focus must turn to the survivors. there is the spread of disease, and a lack of shelter for these people. >> waterborne disease -- most of those people living in this area don't have access to decent

sanitation, and there are a number of bodies that are unclaimed. the government has announced subsidies for people who lost their homes or whose homes have been damaged. first they will have to clear this area. and this is going to be a mammoth task. >> in central brazil -- there is a well fire and the authorities are having trouble getting this under control. and the flames are spreading quickly in these very dry conditions. >> in all of the theory, the fire is terrifying. this has swept through fields and homes. much of this town was quickly reduced to smoldering ruins. >> this was very sudden. there was a fire near our house.

my house is the only one left. the houses of all of my friends were burned. >> those who lost everything were forced to sleep on the street. though there have been no reports of deaths, the doctors have been overwhelmed by the number of people needing treatment. >> we are asking for support from anyone, because we just do not have enough resources to assist all of these people. >> those fighting the flames have struggled. they're trying to push the fire deeper into the forest and as long as this remains out of control they are -- this is threatening other lives. there is no major rainfall until september. >> this is bbc news. still ahead, a new survey finds

an unusual object underneath this bridge. four metropolitan police officers have been charged with attacking a suspect when they arrested him. he was released without charges after questioning back in 2002. and last year he had 67 -- 60,000 pounds in compensation. >> these are the injuries sustained by this man, with heavy bruising to the head and neck and the feet. mark jones is from the territorial support group of the metropolitan police. the other officers are crowley, donahue, and bollin. he was arrested on suspicion of

terrorism. during this process is when the assault was taking place. he was released six days later. the metropolitan police paid damages of 60,000 pounds after admitting that he was the victim of violence. the prosecution service was asked to review the evidence of assault. there is sufficient evidence and this is in the public interest to charge those involved with causing actual bodily harm. >> they are happy that a jury should hear the end of this, and that the jury should determine whether any of the officers should face punishment. >> he was arrested again in 2004 after the united states

requested his extradition on separate charges. the european court of human rights will rule on his case next year. >> a reminder of the headlines. president asif ali zardari and his prime minister have had a meeting to review the response of the government to the unprecedented flooding disaster. citizens are responding to concerns about security on the border of mexico by approving new controls. investigators in uganda have arrested suspects in the bombing that killed 70 people during the finals of the world cup. prime time television viewers in iran have watched a confection by a woman who is facing being stoned to death. she has denied any guilt, has

murder of confesse the her husband. they have said that she was forced to make this statement. our correspondent was watching who forecast from cairo. >> the international campaign to prevent for her -- her from being stoned to death has embarrassed the government of iran. >> on primetime state television, they added an alleged confession. her voice was translated and she admits some part of the murder of her husband. the issue of adultery is avoided. her lawyer was also criticized in the broadcast. after he was threatened, he fled to norway, and he spoke to the bbc today. >> this was under the

supervision of iran security. much of what is on this program -- this program may have had a couple of objectives. it came to justify the acts of those who abuse their power. >> this shows the bloodstained rocks in the aftermath of a stunning. this practice has been widely condemned. >> it is very unfair when a man will have four wives, but adultery is punishable by stoning. >> iran holds the second-largest number of executions in the world after china. this is a public hanging of two men convicted of numerous bank rubbings and murders.

aware of the international sensitivity, there are no longer televising these spectacles. but there is a new message. >> they do not want to show weakness in the face of international pressure. it looks as if they have decided to show the world and their own people that they are not going to be pushed around. >> after the demonstrations after the election of ahmadinejad, it is important for the government to show the world who is in charge. >> sometimes they are very sensitive to outside pressure and often angrily defined. this is a huge dilemma for anyone trying to influence policy. she may have to pay the ultimate price. >> a court judge has said that the ban on gay marriages in

california will be in place until next wednesday. this was called unconstitutional and they thought that this case would eventually end up in the u.s. supreme court. we explained the background to the latest ruling. >> the federal judge in san francisco ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. this ruling was to decide when that lifting of the ban would come into effect. they thought it would come into effect whenever they made the ruling, when that gay couples could do this immediately. many were expecting to perform ceremonies in the coming hours. and many couples were willing to pick up marriage licenses. the judge has said that he will not allow these marriages to take place until next wednesday, which is when his judgment will come into effect.

and this week or so is the opponents a chance to begin their appeal process. this appeals process is likely to take years. because they have a week to try to get an injunction against the ruling coming into effect, that will be able to start this appeals process. this is a very complicated process. this is a bitterly fought battle over gay marriages in california. this is what they think would end up in the u.s. supreme court, which would create a rule for the entire country. >> the chief of general motors has resigned earlier than planned. this is despite the news that

general motors has the best quarterly profit. last year that declared bankruptcy and are partly owned by the federal government. this is one of the most famous landmarks in london. the port of london authority has been using new technology to chart the river. >> we are about to go on a voyage to the bottom of the river thames. these men will not be wearing diving suits. instead, they are relying on the new scanner. >> there are a few small objects on the river bed. >> these individual blocks could be attire -- >> and if you put it all together, you will get this. this is what the river would look like if this ran dry.

the plan is to scan all of this, and by london bridge, they have found something interesting. >> this is 70 meters away. >> this is 10 meters. there is something that is there. >> this is the first unidentified underwater objects. >> this is about the length of this and we do not know what it is. >> an abandoned nazi mini-sub would be similar but this is too wide. another possibility is the remains of a missile from the second world war. >> i cannot say more until we see this. this is very straight and regular. this is not narrow at one end or the other. >> the most interesting possibility is that this may be

part of the old london bridge. a wooden butress. >> it could be something from the original bridge. >> if this is coated with tar, they must have known at that time, it could survive. we have that with the silt, as well. >> an interesting task at hand for the divers. they won't see much because it's so murky. is this an old bridge footing. all could be revealed. >> workers at some of the biggest airports in london have

threatened to go on strike. the united union has 60 reports and the conciliation service is trying to organize a meeting between these two sides. the motorist was caught doing 180 miles per hour in his mercedes in switzerland. he could be given a fine of over $1 million. the level of the fine is determined by the 12th and the speed that was recorded. -- will finance of the driver and a speed that was recorded. the introduction of this species began last year. the kits were born in different areas. they were hunted to extinction 400 years ago. 11 beavers were brought in from

norway as part of a trial. this is very cute. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold. get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank.

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